


Whatever It Takes To Survive

by OceanSpray5



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Birthday Present for Piku-Chan on Tumblr, F/M, Identity Reveal, zombie apocalypse AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 10:12:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7528735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OceanSpray5/pseuds/OceanSpray5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A birthday gift I wrote for piku-chan's birthday. She requested it and I complied.</p><p>Three months. They had been on the run for three whole months, scavenging for food and fighting to stay alive. It hadn’t been easy and they were all terrified. They had seen so much and knew so little about it. Dark bags were under their eyes, looking like bruises, sleep being something fleeting and restless.</p><p>It had stemmed from an Akuma attack but no one knew how. When Ladybug and Chat Noir had arrived on the scene, the victim had been limp, a dark butterfly with bent wings next to him. Both dead. Miraculous Cure hadn’t worked no matter how many times Ladybug tried and within two days, Paris had been destroyed. Screams had rung out as people tried to escape but eventually an air of silence hung over the now ruined city of love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whatever It Takes To Survive

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so it’s @piku-chan's BIRTHDAY ! *confetti and streamers fall* Happy Birthday Blanche ! Hope you have a lovely day and I’m sorry for ruining it with this angst but in my defense… You asked me for it.
> 
> I have never really read/seen anything regarding Zombie Apocalypse’s ever, so I hope I did this justice and didn’t ruin it but I am actually quite proud of this fic especially since it was a struggle to write. (Lack of inspiration is horrible... especially when you have no idea how to make something work). But it was requested so I delivered to the best of my ability.
> 
> Also I rated this G because I tried to keep it that way but if anyone thinks it should be raised to a T do mention. Personally, I don't think it does but I rate everything G because I never like going higher.

The sky above was a murky grey. A cold wind whipped past, chilling anyone still alive to the bones. The area around was quickly deteriorating in what could easily be called a wasteland. Paris was in ruins.

Three months. They had been on the run for three whole months, scavenging for food and fighting to stay alive. It hadn’t been easy and they were all terrified. They had seen so much and knew so little about it. Dark bags were under their eyes, looking like bruises, sleep being something fleeting and restless.

Marinette sat under a tree, looking up at the sky as she shuddered from the cold. Her sweater did little to protect her from the harsh wind but it was too dangerous to light a fire. They were in a perfect place to be seen. What creeped her out more was how eerily silent it was. Most movies depicted the living dead as loud moaning groaning creatures and at this point Marinette would actually want them to be. The silence was deafening and terrifying.

Shuffling feet came up behind her and Marinette swung out her arm by instinct, almost impaling whoever it was with her pocket knife. She sighed in relief. It was only Adrien. 

Only Adrien.

Three months ago nothing would have convinced her that Adrien was something to describe as ‘Only’. ‘Handsome’, maybe and ‘kind’, definitely but never ‘only.’ But by now they were so used to each other that his appearance didn’t faze her at all. Things had changed. The dark haired girl still had a huge crush on the former model but more things occupied her mind than just how to get him to notice her.

Namely, how to survive.

It had been a tough week for them. Their supplies were running low, even after rationing them. They needed to find more food and a few extra packets of bullets and a sharper weapon or two would help as well. They had been trying to save them in case of an emergency but emergencies were unexpected and they had barely escaped being surrounded twice in the last month with their group of four entirely intact. When the attack started they had raided the police station for any leftover weapons and hadn’t come up empty handed. Two guns and three knives (one being a pocket knife) was what they survived off of.

“Find anything ?” Marinette’s voice was hoarse and croaky from disuse. Talking wasn’t something they all liked doing these days. Their voices were too loud in the surrounding silence and it was hard to think of talking of mundane everyday things when their lives had been turned upside down. 

“No.” Adrien shook his head dejectedly. They both knew that a supply trip would be needed soon even if it went unspoken. The park they were hiding in didn’t have much they could scavenge. 

“Find anyone ?” Marinette asked hopelessly. They hadn’t met anyone else in over a month and it scared and worried the four teens more than anything else. What if they were the only ones left ? 

“No.” Adrien’s voice was hollow and dejected, more so than before. “Nino and Alya are still staked out. I told them to come down so we’d take over but they asked for an extra hour. They say they can’t sleep yet.”

Marinette nodded knowing all too well how that felt. She sat down once again and pulled Adrien down with her, both snuggling close for warmth. They dozed off for a bit, in a half asleep-half awake limbo, Worry was a constant for them and they had learnt how to sleep through it even if their survival instincts kept them in a limbo. These days, any sleep was good sleep. They didn’t complain when an hour and a half later, Alya and Nino told them to take over guard duty. It was second nature at this point.

Their survival depended on it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“We can’t risk being separated. We’ll all take a day trip back to my house. We already know there is nothing much there but it might offer us some refuge and maybe we’ll even find some more clothes.” 

Alya looked worried at her best friend’s words. They were discussing whether or not they should split into teams of two, and rush to each of their houses for any thing left that could help them survive. 

“Marinette are you sure you want this. We can think of something else and-”

“I’ll be fine !” Marinette spoke sharply. “I’ll be fine. 

Tom and Sabine had been missing for ages. Marinette hadn’t seen them since the morning before the destruction of Paris. Adrien knew his father was probably safe, hidden away in a safe-house somewhere only he knew, probably searching for his son but unable to find him. Alya was absolutely certain her parents and sisters were with Nino’s family if the broken cell reception they had gotten two months ago was to go by. She didn’t know if the were safe or even alive but hoped they were. 

But Marinette, Marinette had no idea where her parents were and even if they were fine. A note was all she had, something they had hurriedly written for her as they ran to escape the oncoming apocalypse. 

“If you insist.” Alya said gently holding her best friend’s hand. 

“We’ll stay there and try to clean ourselves up.” Adrien added gently continuing the planning where Marinette left off. “Nino and I can go out for more ammunition from the police department and you girls can go for food and other necessities from the grocery stores. We’ll check the rest of our houses if it’s absolutely necessary otherwise... we can go some other time. We can’t stay in the middle of the city too long.”

“We’ll meet back at Mari’s place and escape afterwards.” Nino finished. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The hike to Marinette’s place was easy. Months of getting around silently and quietly made them stealthy and quick so they managed to get past any zombies with little trouble. It was mostly luck though, those monsters could sniff out humans like bloodhounds. Marinette had Tikki to thank for that. When they finally made it to Marinette’s street they all looked around silently in horror. 

Broken glass littered the streets and a few smears of unknown substances on them. Trash cans had been overturned and different items from surrounding buildings lay broken and battered on the street. Across the road, College Francois-Dupont looked empty and bare its doors lopsided on its hinges as if forced open by somebody or something. 

The four teens looked away from the scene and ran across to the bakery, thankful when they finally made it inside. Gingerly, Marinette and her friends stepped over the broken glass of the door and made their way to the back of the bakery taking in the destruction of the customer area. The display cases in front were empty and the broken pieces of bread and pastries on the floor were an icky green color from the mold that had accumulated from lying around for the past few months. It was obvious some sort of scuffle had occurred here or someone had come in desperate for food. 

The kitchen was in a slightly better state. The large ovens were cold and empty and some flour and sugar still powdered the floor. Marinette looked nostalgic as she moved around the bakery, recalling times learning to frost cupcakes and making pastries varying between half-baked to burnt while her parents would still eat them with a proud smile for her accomplishment. A wonderful life and so many wonderful times, all snatched away from her. Snatched from all of them.

“Come on.” She whispered when the recollections became too much. “Let’s go upstairs.”

Upstairs was a lot better than downstairs. It was pretty much how it had been left the day it had been abandoned. The only thing different was the layers of dust that had accumulated all over the room. Climbing up to her bedroom Marinette looked at the bright shades of pink around the room. The mannequin where a dress she was making lay unfinished, the edge still needing to be hemmed. She couldn’t even bring herself to be embarrassed as Adrien looked at all the posters plastered across her walls, a wry smile playing across his lips. The others left her be, knowing this was hard for her. They worried as the raven-haired girl didn’t say anything for the rest of the day. 

The next morning Marinette quickly took charge and after making sure they all were secure and setting up three different safe spots in case they got separated, they split into groups of two. It was a welcome distraction. They set up multiple safe spots and rendezvous points in case of emergency. In a situation like this being separated was the last thing they needed and far from what they wanted.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Nino and Adrien hurried to the nearest Police Department that had long since been abandoned. They ignored the signs of destruction as they moved swiftly and silently to the ammunition storage in the back. They grabbed as many bullets as they could along with pocketing a knife or two. Two lone revolvers remained in the back corner and both boys grabbed them at once. 

With Adrien as lookout, Nino quickly stuffed their spoils in their backpacks. Counting could wait until later. They took a detour through the break room and the rest of the department hoping to find anything else that could be of use. Nino grabbed a bag of stale crackers and a few empty canteens and Adrien grabbed a bag of potato chips in the cupboard. Food was food even if it was a few months stale. 

They froze when a slam echoed through the building. Shuffling of dragging feet came to their ears and a low moan. The two boys exchanged a terrified look. Hearts speeding up they silently speed-walked through the building, away from the sounds searching for another exit. In his haste, Adrien toppled a table and immediately stiffened sharing a horrified look with Nino.

“Run ?” Adrien whispered.

“Run !”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The two boys made it back two the Dupain-Cheng residence slightly more damaged than they left. Their clothes were torn and both had scraped more than a few places but were mostly fine. The escape from the department wasn’t easy. They had been followed by an undead and encountered more as soon as they burst out the back entrance. Having to fight their way out they tried but ended up busted in the process. As soon as they got far enough they checked themselves over for a bite or infected wound. Simultaneous sighs of relief escaped them when they realized they were still safe. Not infected.

Marinette and Alya had already returned, their trip having gone smoother than theirs. A bunch of eatables were set on the kitchen counter behind them. Taken in their ragged appearance, both of them rushed over looking both boys over for any injuries. Luckily none were too severe so they didn’t use any of their rationed medicines, opting to wrap them up.

That night was spent counting and doing inventory of supplies. The girls had picked up enough food to last them three weeks if rationed properly. A few bottles of general medicines had also been brought along as the girls had raided the pharmacy section of the store for any general painkillers and antibiotics that could come in handy.

The boys had acquired ten new packets of bullets, five new knives and two hand guns. In total they now had fifteen packets of bullets, seven knives, two rifles and three handguns. The boys took the revolvers and the girls took a hand gun each. The four teens each pocketed a knife and an extra pack of bullets. The rest went into their backpacks for later use.

For once, the five teens slept easy that night huddled together under blankets on actual beds instead of the ground, knowing it wouldn’t last and making the most of it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Tikki and Plagg worried for their chosen as they watched them sleep. They had had to remain hidden as their chosen refused to reveal their identities to their friends and each other. Both couldn’t get away to transform and the kwamis knew they felt as if they didn’t deserve to transform. Sometimes their charges were just too insecure and despite what Tikki and Plagg told them, they didn’t listen. The kwami themselves were more worried about the whole apocalypse situation than they let on.

It had stemmed from an Akuma attack but no one knew how. When Ladybug and Chat Noir had arrived on the scene, the victim had been limp, a dark butterfly with bent wings next to him. Both dead. Miraculous Cure hadn’t worked no matter how many times Ladybug tried and within two days, Paris had been destroyed. Screams had rung out as people tried to escape but eventually an air of silence hung over the ruined city of love. 

The two kwami were at a loss for words not knowing how to fix this. Never had such a thing happened before and they didn’t know what to do. Such a situation would take a lot of power to reverse and without knowing the root of the problem, things were even more difficult

“What can we do Plagg ? They refuse to reveal themselves and they think they don’t deserve us. They need guidance but we don’t know where Fu and Wayzz are... or even if-even if they’re-”

“They’re probably alright Bug. They are both wise and Fu isn’t Guardian for nothing. He wouldn’t leave the other Miraculous just lying around.” Plagg comforted, surprisingly gentle for once. He then turned back to their asleep charges with a frown. “We need to push them to a reveal soon. At this rate they never will and they need it more than ever.”

“We aren’t supposed to interfere, Plagg !” Tikki cried.

“These aren’t normal situations Tikki. We have no choice.” The cat kwami’s voice was grim. Tikki didn’t argue, knowing he was right.

“Alright but... we’ll wait a little bit longer.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Marinette would be lying if she said she wasn’t worried about Chat Noir. Worry didn’t even begin to cover it. She was getting anxiety wondering about him. If he was okay, if he was even still alive. She hadn’t seen him since their failed attempt at reversing the Akuma’s damage and every day Marinette found herself desperately looking atop roofs and in alleyways, waiting for her silly kitty to appear. The image of him with pale hollow eyes and green-grey skin haunted her thoughts no matter how hard she tried to get rid of it. She couldn’t go looking for him either or her friends would find out who she was.

That was another constant worry that plagued her mind, day and night when they weren’t running for their lives or in the midst of battle with a legion of undead. She was scared to reveal herself as Ladybug to her friends. Afraid of their reactions at her well-guarded secret. Afraid they would hate her for not reaching the akuma on time and managing to fix this. Afraid they would they think she didn’t deserve the title of Ladybug and her miraculous. That she never did.

Her guilt was a great burden and she felt her heart squeeze and ever so often, her breath shorten, as she thought of all possible outcomes of revealing herself. It wasn’t as if they didn’t have the time. Time was all they had. A constant clock ticking to their inevitable demise unless they figured out a way to reverse the zombie apocalypse. So far, Tikki had no leads.

As she tossed and turned on the hard ground beneath them, a week from when they had stopped by her parents house, her thoughts kept her from sleeping. A fitful sleep uneasy was all that embraced her that night, the echoes of her insecurities bouncing around in her head and the image of an already infected Chat Noir, blaming her for not saving them all in time.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Unbeknownst to Marinette,  Adrien was feeling the exact same emotions as her. His worry for his Lady was unbearable. He strained his ears constantly to try and hear the zip of a yo-yo or catch a glimpse of her running across rooftops but just like him, she hadn’t appeared in three months. Adrien tried to ignore the worry bubbling in his gut, telling him Ladybug had already been infected. That he wasn’t there to protect her and she was already hurt or worse, dead. (Then again, perhaps death was a mercy at this point. A million times better than being infected).

His reluctance of telling his friends about his alter-ego stemmed from the fear that they would reject him if they knew. Chat Noir was, in some cases, the exact opposite of Adrien. And now that this whole mess had occurred and that he, Chat Noir who was supposed to be the protector of Paris, had failed to stop it, he feared they would hate him even more. 

The guilt was becoming overwhelming and Adrien knew he couldn’t keep it hidden much longer. Every time he opened his mouth to speak he felt as if the words were going to spill out from his mouth, his chest tightened and he felt anxious. It was becoming increasingly difficult to bear with it. Especially now he knew Marinette had a crush on him. The boy may have been oblivious but he wasn’t blind. The posters in Marinette’s room were enough proof. He hadn’t confronted her about them yet. He hadn’t had the time. And it was selfish to want it, but a part of him now kept his secret even more so than before so that whatever happened, Marinette wouldn’t stop liking him. Her rejection would hurt more than anyone else’s and Adrien wanted to keep that from happening at all costs.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

They were hiking through the overgrowth of an unnamed park near the outskirts of the city when they encountered the first zombies they met in a week. (It was a very good week by their standards too). The four were silent as usual but stopped as a loud crackling sound reached their ears. They turned so fast they all nearly got whiplash but almost yelled in horror at the sight, wishing they had just ran instead of looking back. Behind them were two undead. One big and the other small. Their eyes were hollow and empty, the sclera an unnatural white. Their clothes were muddy and grubby and a few dark stains looked horrifyingly like blood. Their skin was a sickly pale green and their stances were hunched over.

“Guys run !” Alya whispered in hushed voice. Adrien and Nino nodded, needing no more propmting and began to move forwards, Nino keeping an eye up front and Adrien behind them as they retreated.

“Marinette !” Alya hissed when she saw her friend didn’t follow. “Marinette come on !”

Marinette was frozen. Her mouth formed silent words and tears filled her eyes.

“Marinette come on.” Alya pleaded trying to tug her friend away. The zombies were dormant for some reason, as if there was something stopping them from attacking, but they wouldn’t be for long. Marinette just shrugged her off.

“Mama ? Papa ?” 

At her address the zombie’s finally moved. They shuffled forward on their feet silent moans escaping their mouths. Alya’s desperate pleas went unheard as Marinette took a small step forward. Alya’s fearful shriek alerted the boys who came racing back, realizing the girl’s hadn’t followed. Their eyes widened at noticing Alya’s predicament. The creator of the Ladyblog was pleading with Marinette who didn’t seem to hear a word Alya said.

“Marinette it isn’t them. Please ! Come back. _It isn’t them !_ ” Alya’s screams went unheard as Marinette kept moving forward.

“Marinette !” Nino yelled after her. “Mari ! Come Back !”

Adrien felt his throat clog up. Marinette was obviously not in her right mind. Needing a trigger, anything to bring her back from the present he wracked his brain, thinking of something Marinette would register as out of place and snap out of whatever trance she was in.

“Princess !” Adrien hollered. His identity be damned if she figured it out, Marinette needed him.  _“Princess Snap Out Of It !”_

That did the trick. Marinette stopped and woke up. She cowered in fear as she noticed she was directly in front of the two zombies. That’s when the larger one lunged. Evidently whatever reason he was holding himself back was less important than infecting a new victim. A scream resounded from Marinette as she rolled out of the way. She pulled out her knife trying to land a hit on them but it was obvious she was holding back. The other three ran forward to help her. 

Alya pulled out her knife and struck the smaller one in the back but her foot got caught in the undergrowth and she fell. Nino fired away two shots to distract the zombie and ran in the opposite direction, the smaller one following him. Adrien intercepted and between the two of them confused the zombie enough to hurt it enough so she couldn’t come after them. Unfortunately she managed to crawl back to where Marinette and the bigger zombie were fighting.

Marinette was struggling with the bigger one. Alya had crawled away with a sprained ankle, wanting to help but unable to stand and keep herself from screaming. Her ankle throbbed but a quick check made her realize it wasn’t broken. Nino crouched next to her to look her over and Adrien climbed a tree to get a better vantage point to fire at the zombies as they continued to go after Marinette.

“Marinette !” Alya’s voice was cracked but she watched in horror as Marinette was held under the zombies. The raven haired girl had managed to pull out her pistol and hold it to the bigger zombie’s head. She hesitated on pulling the trigger as her eyes teared up. 

“Marinette it isn’t them. It isn’t them Mari. Those are not your parents. They wouldn’t want to hurt you. They would want you to live Mari !”

Alya didn’t even know what she was yelling anymore all she knew was she had to get her best friend to survive. Nino was beside her wrapping up her ankle in case they needed to make a quick retreat but his eyes were on Mari too. He yelled encouraging words at her like Alya trying not to cry as the sister he never knew he wanted until he got her tried to make a choice. One he hoped he’d never have to make himself. 

Above them, Adrien desperately tried to make his way to the right branch on the tree, almost falling multiple times, he was shaking so badly. He didn’t want to do this to the only people who reminded him of a true family, of true parents but he had to. He knew Marinette wouldn’t be able to. He quickly got in position and aimed his gun. 

Two shots rang out in the silence.

Marinette quickly rolled away as the two zombies fell over. She burst into tears, throwing the gun she was holding away. She felt herself crawling with guilt and heart-aching sadness. She felt it would consume her. She barely noticed as Alya, Nino and Adrien pulled her into a hug. She didn’t notice as they worriedly checked her over for infection or injuries. She didn’t notice as Adrien gently picked her up, still letting him cry into her shoulder as their group began to walk away from the scene.

She fell asleep with pain and heartbreak plastered across her face.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Marinette woke up still being held tightly by someone. For a moment she felt fine until the realization of all that had happened came back to her and suddenly her world was dull and grey again. She shifted up into a sitting position trying to ignore the worried looks Adrien, Alya and Nino were giving her.

“Hey Maribear ?” Nino started gently. “How are you feeling ?”

Marinette was silent.

“We made some canned soup for dinner. I know you aren’t hungry but you have to eat to keep your energy up.” Nino handed her the can. Alya and Adrien were still silent, letting Nino handle this for once. He was surprisingly tactful sometimes and he had known Marinette the longest anyway.

Marinette took the soup, wishing her friends would stop looking at her so pitifully. She finished the soup, not even realizing she had and set it down. Turning around she lied back down and went back to sleep without saying anything, just hoping that when she woke up it would all be a bad dream.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

It had been a week. A week since Marinette had to see her parents die. She knew they would want her to . They’d prefer death compared to being mindless infectious zombies with no free will. She didn’t blame Adrien either. She was thankful he had aimed when he did, knowing she wouldn’t have been able to. She knew her friends were worried about her. She hardly spoke, which was normal, but her expressions were enough to let them in on what dark thoughts circled her mind. 

They were camped out in an abandoned building this week. Little zombies had been seen in the vicinity and none came near their building. 

“I’m taking first watch.” 

The other three looked up.

“Marinette you’ve been keeping watch more than the rest of us. You need to rest too.” Alya pleaded her case. Marinette tended to take guard duty and didn’t wake anyone up for their turn unless she was about to fall over. Her self-destructive behavior was scaring them all.

“I’ll wake you up on time.” Marinette said avoiding her friends’ gazes. “Please let me do this. It helps.”

The three didn’t argue but that didn’t mean they liked it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Marinette stood near one of the large windows of the office floor they were camped out on for the week. She looked behind her to make sure her friends were all asleep before opening her backpack.

“Tikki... Can we transform ?” 

Tikki had been nothing but supportive of Marinette, offering her comfort and telling her stories of how she coped with losing past Ladybugs. How past Ladybugs had dealt with losing their loved ones. Her stories were simple and Tikki made sure to keep them light-hearted but real, knowing that was what Marinette needed. It was because of this distraction Marinette stayed awake longer, preferring Tikki’s stories as opposed to nightmare plagued sleep.

Right now Marinette needed Ladybug. She needed to escape Marinette and if that meant putting on a spandex skin and racing atop rooftops then so be it. So finally, for once in almost four months Tikki smiled and got ready to transform, excited to go out on a run again.

“Tikki ! Tranform Me !”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Adrien couldn’t sleep. He had been tossing and turning for ages when he fell into a slight doze and woke up not ten minutes later. Standing up he decided to go keep Marinette company when he realized she wasn’t in the room. Panic gripped his chest as he looked around frantically, wondering where she could be. Her things were still there next to the rest of their bags and her weapons were right next to her pillow where she kept them, only a single knife missing which they all kept with them during guard duty even if they were on the fifth floor of a huge office building.

He sighed in relief, realizing she probably just went to the bathroom and made his way to the window. He breathed in the fresh air outside, as fresh as it could be when the city was overrun by mindless infectious humans. He did not expect to hear the familiar zip of a yo-yo and a red and black blur pass by swinging from the building across the street.

Adrien felt his heart fill with elation and without even thinking he woke Plagg and transformed. For once, the kwami didn’t complain, wanting to go out on a run and hoping this would finally be the big reveal they had been waiting for. Adrien climbed out the window and extended his baton to reach the roof. He landed stealthily behind Ladybug who looked ready to take off again.

“My Lady ?” Chat asked in disbelief and awe, hoping beyond hope he wasn’t dreaming. Ladybug stiffened suddenly.

“Chat ?” Her eyes were filled with tears as she took in her partner’s appearance.

“It’s me My Lady.” Chat’s voice cracked, a broken smile on his face.

With a sob, Ladybug rushed over and embraced the partner she hadn’t seen in nearly four months. She had missed him more than she could bear and after everything that had happened she just wanted to be near him, wanting him to annoy her and make her laugh with his stupid puns and his goofy antics.

“I missed you so much Ladybug. I was so worried and afraid I wasn’t there to protect you and-” Suddenly they both were crying, kneeling on the roof in a mess of limbs, not letting go.

“I didn’t see you and thought the worst.” Ladybug whispered.

“I did too. I’m sorry for not being there.”

“I’m sorry for scaring you.”

They were silent for a few more moments after that, just holding each other and basking in the immense relief of knowing their other half was alive.

“Chat... Do you think this is our fault ?” Ladybug finally whispered. “If we made it in time. If we purified the akuma and prevented the disease from spreading.”

Chat was at a loss for words. He had been thinking the same and wanted to offer some sort of comfort to his lady but seeing Ladybug so insecure and lost... he knew he couldn’t lie to her.

“I-I don’t know. I’ve been thinking the same thing but... maybe ? Plagg, my kwami says it isn’t but I still feel guilty.”

“Tikki tells me that too.”

“Do you think there is still a chance to fix this ?” Chat asked hopefully.

“I don’t know.”

The two teens didn’t speak. They sat there for another hour, shoulder to shoulder before Marinette realized that her friends would be terrified if they woke up and she wasn’t there.

“My friends can wake up any minute. They won’t know where I am and freak.” Ladybug said. “I should go.”

“Wait !” Chat stopped her. “My Lady I need to know you’re safe. We need to think of something. Maybe we can stop this. If we ju-”

A piercing yell cut through the air.

“Alya !” Both teens realized. Jumping off the roof they both swung in through the window to see Alya sobbing and Nino looking no better as they practically overturned the room calling out their names.

At seeing the Parisian heroes they stopped not even registering that the heroes that had been missing for months were still alive

“Ladybug !” Alya said relieved. “Please you have to help us find our friends. Adrien and Marinette are gone and we don’t know where.”

“Adrien’s missing ?” Ladybug felt her pulse spike in fear.

“Marinette’s gone ? Didn’t she just go to use the bathroom ?” Chat Noir looked horrified, forgetting who he was speaking as in his moment of panic.

“I don’t know. But they’re gone.” Nino said voice cracking. “Please help us find them... they’re all we have left. They’re family.”

As Ladybug, Marinette was more levelheaded than usual even when it came to Adrien. She knew to get Alya and Nino to calm down was the first step to finding him. So Marinette decided that she had held on to her secret for far too long. From Chat Noir and her friends. Seeing Alya and Nino so scared for her gave her a metaphorical slap and she finally realized that keeping this secret was hurting everyone. She was still afraid of rejection but she was Lady Luck and she was Marinette. She always hoped for the best.

“Marinette, isn’t gone Alya. She’s right here.”

The dark haired girl released her transformation, eyes locked on her best friends. Alya’s tears immedietly stopped and the look in her eyes was replaced by shock.

“M-Marinette ? You-You’re Ladybug ? This whole time ?”

“Sorry I couldn’t tell you Alya. It was for your safety. I guess... that doesn’t really matter now. We’re all in danger anyway.” Marinette shrugged.

Nino snapped out of his shock first and engulfed her in a hug. “Don’t scare us like that _ever again_ Maribear.”

“Alya, please don’t be mad.” Marinette pleaded once she pulled away from Nino’s bear hug.

“I’m not. I’m just upset. And shocked.” The ombre haired teen explained in monotone. She was obviously still processing what had happened. A moment later and she tackled her best friend in a larger hug than Nino’s.

“I will kill you if you ever do that again girl !”

“Well...” A voice cut in. Chat Noir. Marinette almost forgot that he was there and now awaited his reaction nervously. Instead he released his own transformation in a flood of green light. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag.”

Adrien. Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir.

“Dude !” Nino growled as he punched Adrien’s shoulder. “Tell us next time you disappear like that. You and Mari both. Ya hear ?” He didn’t say anymore. 

His tear filled eyes and hug spoke a thousand words for him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Adrien and Marinette didn’t hear the end of it for another week. Their respective best friends were angry at the scare they received but forgave the secret superheroes once everything was out in the open. Marinette and Adrien had yet to discuss their feelings and where they stood. They cuddled a lot more and worked better now that their identities were out in the open. They were just thankful their partner was alive and safe and knowing they were a crime-fighting duo in secret helped them make better plans for grocery store raids and the occasional people hunt.

The two patrolled every evening after leaving Nino and Alya in a safe place, trying to find anyone else who had not yet been infected. The city was devoid of human-life as far as they knew. They hadn’t interacted with many people since the early weeks of the apocalypse and in the past two month they hadn’t seen anyone at all which was extremely worrying.

After another fruitless patrol, Ladybug and Chat Noir returned to their hideout dejectedly. Tikki and Plagg were exhausted but willingly ate the canned fruit that was available. They knew they didn’t have room to be picky in these situations. The kwamis conversed in hushed whispers as they ate, piquing the curiosity of the four teens.

“We think we know how to fix this situation.” Tikki finally spoke up. “We’ve never dealt with anything like this before but Plagg and I think there may be a chance.”

“What is it.” The four spoke in unision.

“It’s dangerous,” Plagg warned. For once, the kwami was devoid of the mischievous nature that was practically his trademark. “It’s not as easy as capturing and purifying this time.”

“Doesn’t matter. We’ll do anything.” Adrien insisted. Marinette’s hand slipped into his own.

“If you’re sure.” Tikki said apprehensively.

"Absolutely.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Marinette sat next to the window, as the night passed slowly. Nino, Alya and Adrien were asleep. Marinette had third watch and she silently sat, playing with the frayed hem of her shirt as she waited for her turn to be over.

“Ello Princess.” Adrien yawned as he came into view. He slumped against her as he sat down, back against the wall.

“Couldn’t sleep again ?” Marinette asked eyeing the dark circles that were more prominent in the shadows.

“No.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a little bit.

“Did you really mean it... all those times you confessed you liked me ?” Marinette finally asked.

“Yes.” It was a simple answer for a simple question.

“I liked Adrien that day he gave me my umbrella. I told myself I didn’t like Chat because Adrien already had my heart. Guess we were going round and round in circles this whole time huh ?” Marinette laughed humorlessly.

Adrien watched her for a moment.

“Do you still like me ?”

“Yes.”

“I still like you.” Adrien confessed with a smile. “We don’t need to worry about any more of that right now.”

“After we fix everything ?” Marinette asked hopefully.

“After we fix everything.” Adrien promised. He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple as Marinette smiled. She pulled her hand out from her side and held it up with a smile.

“Pound it ?”

“Pound it ?”

**Author's Note:**

> Now this was hard to do. I hope this doesn’t royally suck and I hope the ending was fine. I want to tell you that I will continue this but I have no such plans because I have no further ideas right now.
> 
> Spoiler Alert : Whatever happens next is completely up to you guys. It probably ends happy. Mostly. 
> 
> I have no idea if I even got the rules of a Zombie Apocalypse AU (Are there even rules at all ?) write. (Unintentional pun was unintentional. I only saw that while editing and decided to keep it there) but anywho I hope this turned out fine. If not ? Well I hope the Marichat chapter from Light's Of Home made up for it. (*whispers* Go read it if you haven't yet).
> 
> Once Again, a Big Happy Birthday Blanche. Hope you have a good one and many more to come. InshaAllah. Thanks for being such an awesome friend.  
> (Everyone go wish her a happy birthday @piku-chan.tumblr.com and give her some love on her Bday).
> 
> :D


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